Shoe or boot stretcher.



No. 644,49l.

, Patented Feb. 27, I900. R. BECKH.

SHOE 0R BOOT STBETCHER.

(Application filed Aug. '7, 1899.)

\ (Z l I I 4 ail-- L 1 (No Modal.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT BEOKH, OF ZERBST, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR TO FRIEDRICH GUSTAV PABST, OF HAMBURG, GERMANY.

SHOE OR BOOT STRETCHER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 644,491, dated February 27, 1900. Application filed August 7,1899. $eria1No. 726,427. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ROBERT BEOKH, a subject of the German Emperor, and a resident of Zerbst, in the Dukedom of Anhalt, in the German Empire, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Shoe or Boot Stretchers, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention has for its object an improved tree or stretcher for foot-coverings which is designed to be placed inside a shoe or boot in order to prevent changes or alterations of the form of the top leather of the shoe or boot resulting from the influences of moisture, heat, and wearing and to secure and preserve the original shape of the shoe or boot.

The improved stretcher or tree comprises a shoeing-horn, forming a portion of a boot or shoe last, arranged to fill out the toe part of the boot or shoe, and a rear portion in the form of a toothed shaft or ratchet-bar, upon which is mounted a clip or sleeve capableof being moved to and fro on such bar and secured at the proper place by means of apawl or ratchet-lever and which acts against the heel-cap and produces the pressure. The ratchet-lever is provided with a slotted lug or eye into which the handle of the shoeing-horn may be hooked. By this arrangement and connection of the parts a last-like implement is formed which is very simple in construction, easy to handle, and effective in use.

To make my said invention more clearly understood, reference may be taken to the accompanying. drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved boot or shoe stretcher when applied to a boot. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the toothed bar and the ratchet device, the shoe-horn being removed. Fig. 3 is a top view of the shoehorn, and Fig. 4 illustrates the improved tree or stretcher in the position of use when applied to a shoe.

Similar letters refer to similar parts through out the several views.

The improved boot or shoe tree is composed of a shoeing-horn d, having a hook-shaped handle at, and of a toothed or ratchet bar a. This ratchet-bar may preferably be formed by an ordinary boot hook or pull the shaft of which is provided for this purpose with a row of suitable teeth (1. Upon the toothed shaft of the boot-hook is mounted a ratchet device consisting of a sliding sleeve or clip I), carrying a suitably-formed ratchet-lever c. The latter is provided with a slotted lug or eye a for the reception of the hook-shaped handle d of the shoeing-horn d.

The improved stretcher is used in the 1501- lowing manner: After the shoeing-horn has been hooked into the eye 0 of the ratchetlever cthat is to say, after the parts have been united in the manner shown in Fig. 1 the thus-formed implement is put into the boot or shoe, the boot-hook being either in an upright or nearly-upright position, Fig. 1, or in an inclined position, Fig. 4, while the shoeing-horn rests in the toe part of the boot or shoe. By then raising or moving upward the ratchet device on the toothed shaft of the boot-hook the shoeing-horn is slightly turned or moved upward and pressed toward the toe part of the boot or shoe, while the boot-hook acts against the heel-cap, and thus produces the desired pressure, so that the boot or shoe regains its proper shape and maintains the appearance of a new boot or shoe.

WVhen disconnected or separated from each other, the shoeing-horn, as well as the boot- 8o hook, may be used separately in the usual and well-known manner.

Having fully described my invention,what

I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Pat- ROBERT BEOKI-I.

WVitnesses:

F. T. STEPHAN, HENRY A. DIEDERICH. 

